Welcome to the Guideline for Systems Engineering within the Dutch civil engineering sector

Welcome to the Guideline for Systems Engineering (SE) within the Dutch civil engineering sector’s web site. The following collaborating parties, who incorporate SE in their contracts and designs, have joined forces to create a national platform that help improve the dialogue between clients and contractors:
  • ProRail (the Dutch Rail Infrastructure Manager)
  • Rijkswaterstaat (the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management)
  • Bouwend Nederland (the Dutch construction industry)
  • Vereniging van Waterbouwers (the associated Dutch Hydraulic Engineering firms)
  • NLingenieurs (the associated Dutch engineering firms)
  • Techniek Nederland (the Dutch electronic installation industry)

The Systems Engineering methodology is rapidly growing within the Dutch civil engineering sector. Each involved collaborating party is currently translating the guiding principles to match their own specific business environment. The Guideline for Systems Engineering offers a broad collective framework, containing a set of common terms, definitions and process descriptions.

The first edition of the Guideline for Systems Engineering was released in 2007. At this early stage, the main priority was to develop a common language for SE throughout the Dutch civil engineering sector. This first Guideline was well received and appreciated by all contributing parties. After the publication of the Guideline for Systems Engineering version 2 (in 2009), the support for SE has broadened further, because all parties realised that SE indeed helps to make projects manageable. It created a more thorough understanding of the SE principles and how they improve communication about client requirements. Version 3 of the Guideline (released in November 2013) reflects the experiences gained in recent years through the application of SE. It outlines the current situation of SE in the civil engineering sector and the challenges for the future. Furthermore, it focuses on the measures that need to be taken at an organisational level for the introduction of SE. Finally, it aims to build a bridge between theory and practice. It's all about cohesion.

Downloads:

The Guideline for Systems Engineering within the civil engineering sector

Rijkswaterstaat has also developed Guidelines on Performance based Risk Analyses. Feel free to have a look.

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